cvtalk.html

The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., October 20, 1960, page 8

PIONEER FAMILIES OF CENTERVILLE LISTED IN TALK

Harrie Hill, son of Mrs. Margaret Hill of Goldendale, now at a sanitarium at North Bonneville, and the late Jim Hill, spoke to the gathering of Centerville pioneers at their annual gathering October 8.
The following information from his talk has historical significance for the listing of names of residents of the Centerville area during the 1890-1900 period. His father taught in The Centerville School, as well as in other public schools of this region.
"Most of you are aware that I claim Centerville as my birthplace, and the house in which I was born is still standing. I attended my first school here with Laura Cooley as my teacher.
"In my travels over this part of the county, I try to visualize who used to live at this and that farm and I find that many are gone. Instead of farm families on every 160 acres the ranches have welded into larger acreage with, in some cases, up to a thousand acres sometimes owned by a descendant of those early pioneers who had to work so hard to glean a living for their families.
"I tried to remember the names of many pioneers but had to ask for help from my friend, John Kaidera. The names that came into our minds, beginning in the lower Swale, are the O'Briens, Haggertye, Daileys, Pat and Tom Niemela, Matt Hyrkas, Jake Lowery, John Harnes and Del Brooks.

PLOWING CONTRACTED

"(Regarding Del, when I was a lad, Del hired Bruce Spalding and me to go down and plow his summer fallow. First we had to round up a bunch of broke and half-broke horses. Finally we got ready to start plowing, Bruce with eight horses on a three-bottom disk, and me with three horses on a foot burner. We not only plowed all day but also batched and our fare was very simple, mostly corn flakes and milk. I don't think we finished the job.)"
"Then there were the Stegmans, Stackers, Nena Went, Sturtevant, Mulligans, Bill McMahon, Saxtons, Morans, Lars Lehto, Ritxschke, John Jaekel, Theodore and Con Yeackel, Garners, Charles Jaekel, Eshelman, Curtis, Charles Miller, Lord, St. Lawrence, John Niemela, H. Nive, Adolph Mata, Tom Carter, John McCann, Matt, Peter and Abe Ahola, Piermans, Jake Jacobson, Fred Wonk, King, Simon Clenan, A. Clockner, Adolph Lehto, Fred Johnson, Wiidanen, Olella Perford, Thompson, Lee and Dudley Smith, Lars Mattson, John Hagan, Henry Letha, Waldman, John Kinder, Orelda, Henry Molson, H. Lumatta, Eric Jussila, the Tobins, Tom Crofton, Hayden, Tom Golden, Russell, Dan Finelson, John Smith, Burt, Bunnell, Frank Stimson, Dooley, Robert McKillip, Polland, Whittaker, John Burgen, Bouie, Armstrong. McKinney, Nailer, Dutirng, Waldron, Halstead, Snipes, Linden and Walkington.
At the crossing of the Klickitat north of Centerville stood a 'halfway' house. There are Pat Ryan, Giestentanner, Jackson, Brown Dave Kiley, Billington, Grimes, Maneki, Karesko, Kaiser, Bob Richardson, Otto Adams, Murphy, Charles Haight, Childers (a squatter on 40 acres across from John Kadiera's ranch), Curtis, James McQueen, Judy, Andrew Wiidanen, Karjola, Duranan, Ferguson, Kirkanan, Sam Hornibrook, Runyon, John Kress, Rust, Dad Hamlin, Sol. Smith, Blocks and Stoton, Fenton, Lucas, Tom Lear.
Levi Clanton operated the blacksmith shop here many years and was the rural preacher in the outposts and school houses in this Centerville area.
And let's not forget A.J. Brown, the founder of this village, who had great dreams for Centerville in those early days.
"Reading this over I find I've left out a few, such as the Matiers. Perhaps, too, I have overlooked some additional people.
The first Finnish people to come into our midst, back in 1877, were John Kaidera, John Hogan, Jake Jacobson, H. Niva, Lars Mattson, Eric Jussila, Crocker and Hyrkas. These men, leaving their wives and families in Chicago, came to this valley and all of them lived on the Jacobson place northwest of town that first winter, filling on their claims and hauling lumber to build their homes. The next year, they had their families come out and started breaking the soil and planting crops.
Most of these men went to the Columbia river to fish to supply the needs of their families. The reason the Finnish settlers chose the north end of the valley was because of Swale creek which sometimes overflowed, giving them the fear that they wouldn't he able to go to the woods for lumber and firewood.